Wednesday, August 18, 2021
-Clint Manry
It was a three-month wait, but righty Huascar Ynoa made his highly anticipated return last night for the Braves… and the kid pitched well. Ynoa lasted all the way into the sixth inning on Wednesday, which, due to his absence, is pretty impressive.
Ynoa threw 53 of 80 pitches for a strike and did a nice job of keeping the ball in the infield. After working around a single by Miami’s Brian Anderson in the second frame, Atlanta’s righty didn’t allow another hit until the sixth, when a knock by Miguel Rojas chased him.
From there, relievers Tyler Matzek, Chris Martin, Luke Jackson and Will Smith combined to finish the final 3.2 innings. The Braves bullpen was sharp, allowing just one hit altogether to go with five strikeouts and no walks.
Offensively it was Jorge Soler who put Atlanta up in the eighth. The newly-acquired outfielder has been a blessing since his arrival…
In the final frame, third baseman (and a sneaky candidate NL MVP) Austin Riley added another run to the Braves lead when he belted his 26th home run of the year…
All-in-all, it was a pretty unexciting game as both the Braves and Marlins combined for just 10 hits. However, it was great to see Atlanta’s pitching once again come through with a stingy performance.
Now into Wednesday, the Braves lead the division by 2.5 games as both the Phillies and Mets lost their respective games yesterday. The Braves are rolling, folks!
Down on the farm, righty Ian Anderson made his third rehab start since returning from an injury. The young pitcher wasn’t as crisp as usual, needing nearly 80 pitches to get through 4.1 innings on Tuesday, but Anderson still managed to get through the outing in scoreless fashion.
In the opening frame, Johan Camargp continued his incredible Triple-A season by putting Gwinnett up by two with a homer…
In the next inning, Ryan Goins joined the fun with a long ball of his own, putting the Stripers up 3-0…
Of course it’s not a party until Orlando Arcia gets involved, and in the third he went deep as well, slugging his 17th homer of the season…
Following Arcia’s homer, though, things got a little chippy. Louisville’s pitcher threw a ball behind Camargo’s back, and in the end, several Stripers and Bats players wound up getting ejected…
No one was hurt… and eventually Gwinnett held on to the win.
For the M-Braves, starter Alan Rangel continued his strong 2021 season by tossing another quality-start against Montgomery…
Rangel is now down to a 4.24 ERA at the Double-A level as he’s made some impressive strides on the mound this year.
The play of the night, though, has to go to first baseman Drew Lugbauer, who made my Midseason Braves Top 30 earlier this month. Lugbauer belted a grand-slam in the fifth inning, giving him 15 homers now in 2021…
The trio of Odalvi Javier (who I guess is now a reliever), Indigo Diaz and Matt Withrow finished the game by working together for three scoreless innings.
Rome was rained out, though the R-Braves and Greenville will play a doubleheader today.
Down in Single-A, the GreenJackets were routed by Carolina, although Augusta’s offense did well by tallying 12 hits combined. Save for Cade Bunnell, every batter in the GreenJackets lineup recorded at least one hit, including 2021 draftees Cal Conley, Justyn-Henry Malloy and Christian Robinson.
Rainiery Rodriguez got the start for Augusta on Tuesday, but he struggled mightily and allowed six runs (five earned) from a dozen hits in five innings. Reliever Kenny Wells struggled as well, and by the time Peyton Williams came in for garbage time in the ninth, Augusta was already trailing by six runs.
The FCL Braves shutout the Orioles Orange team, thanks to some strong pitching. Reibyn Corona started and was sharp, but then five Braves relievers came in and dominated, combining to allow just one hit over six innings, including six strikeouts.
Mahki Backstrom had a solid game and picked up a double, as well as Jose Palma. Also, 2021 draftee, and the Braves lead-off hitter, Tyler Collins contributed with a triple. Overall, the Braves out-hit the Orioles by a tally of 10-2 as the rookie team continues to play well down in Florida.
(64-56) ATLANTA BRAVES
W, 2-0 vs. Marlins
SP, H. Ynoa – 5.1 IP, 3 H, BB, 4 K
3B, A. Riley – 2 for 4, HR, RBI
RF, J. Soler – 1 for 4, RBI
1B, F. Freeman – 2 for 4
(51-40) GWINNETT STRIPERS
W, 4-2 vs. Louisville
SP, I. Anderson – 4.1 IP, 4 H, BB, 6 K
1B, J. Camargo – 1 for 3, HR, 2 RBI
SS, O. Arcia – 2 for 4, HR, RBI
3B, R. Goins – 1 for 3, HR, RBI
(54-37) MISSISSIPPI BRAVES
W, 9-3 vs. Montgomery
SP, A. Rangel – (W), 6 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 6 K
1B, D. Lugbauer – 1 for 5, HR (GS), 4 RBI
2B, J. Miller – 1 for 5, 2B, RBI
C, S. Langeliers – 2 for 4, 2B, 2 R, BB
LF, T. Harris – 2 for 4, 2B, RBI, 2 R
CF, J. Dean – 3 for 5, 3B, 3 R
(40-49) ROME BRAVES
PPD vs. Greenville
(40-51) AUGUSTA GREENJACKETS
L, 10-4 vs. Carolina
SP, R. Rodriguez – (L), 5 IP, 12 H, 5 ER, 3 K
DH, W. Carter – 2 for 3, 2B, RBI, R, 2 SB
RF, C. Robinson – 1 for 4, 2B, R
CF, S. Paolini – 2 for 3, 2B, RBI, R, 2 SB
C, R. Rodriguez – 1 for 4, RBI
(2021 draftee)
(17-15) FCL Braves
W, 5-0 vs. Orioles Orange
SP, R. Corona – 4 IP, H, BB, 2 K
1B, M. Backstrom – 1 for 4, 2B
LF, J. Palma – 2 for 4, 2B, R
CF, T. Collins – 1 for 4, 3B, RBI, R
SS, G. Quintero – 1 for 3, RBI, R, SB
(2021 draftee)
Braves Farm 